Michigan Needs Infrastructure Money for Clean Drinking Water

How Michigan has been plagued for years with lead in their water

America is one of the richest countries in the world among China, Japan, and Germany but some states are functioning like third world countries where they are having dirty contaminated lead water as their drinking water for their consumption and basic needs usage.

2018, Flint, Michigan suffered a lead water crisis as the politicians allowed the situation to perpetuate for an unhealthy length of time. These citizens pay taxes and those taxes should be applied to clean water equally as it pays politicians’ salaries.

According to the news media, Flint’s lead water lines problem happened as the city switched its water source to the Flint River without proper treatment, corroding lead pipes.

Now, Michigan City is dealing with a tainted water crisis. Same state different town. For three straight years, Benton Harbor’s system has experienced elevated lead levels interrupting their lives in every aspect.

Residents are having to fill jugs with water at various locations due to their home water being undrinkable, and unfortunately, this has become their norm where various sites have been set up to provide drinking water for Michigan City.

Lake Michigan residents have found themselves in lines from sunrise collecting free bottled water for cooking and consumption out of fear of the high lead levels in the city’s tap water.

Sadly, picking up bottled water has become the norm in Michigan and distribution sites are a fixture of life in the majority Black city where nearly 10,000 residents live in poverty. Testing of the public water system has revealed elevated levels of lead.

You’d think the state of Michigan had learned from their Flint water crisis years ago and tested other cities’ water system to ensure they were free of lead but apparently, this was not a priority due to the population being Black and already living in poverty. Also, the problem has happened before in another city, this new situation should be an easier fix having dealt with the same water crisis before.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has vowed to spend millions to replace the city’s lead service lines within 18 months, compared to the normal time of decades. Hopefully, all of Michigan will be tested for lead pipes so this situation doesn’t continue to repeat.

Lead as known by everyone is hazardous to one’s health, physically and mentally. This situation has placed an enormous amount of stress and duress on the affected residents and their community. Lead kills and so does stress.

For everyday consumption and usage requires these residents to remain in long lines for long hours as they burn much gas in their cars while doing so and not to mention affecting thier working hours for the parents and school hours for their children.

Studies have shown the effects of lead exposure from slow cognitive development in young children as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised that no amount of lead in drinking water is safe or healthy for anyone.

Certainly and rightfully so, the Black residents affected by this tainted lead water voice their concern that if the process of eliminating the lead from the water would have been handled differently or quicker if the Benton Harbor’s residents resembled their neighboring St. Joseph, a predominantly white neighborhood.

These lead pipelines that connect buildings to water systems are nothing new across the country. Other Black neighborhoods have faced a similar crisis with lead in their water, New Jersey and Massachusetts. At least in New Jersey when this lead issue became a public outcry, Newark replaced thousands of lead pipes.

While the replacement of these lead pipes is costly but you cannot put a price tag on humans who deserve equal treatment regardless of the color of their skin, where they live or how they live.

The passing of the infrastructure and reconciliation bills in Congress will provide billons to address lead line replacement nationwide for all affected communities. Michigan must hold their officials accountable especially the ones they voted in office.

No matter what, the city, state, and nation need to rectify this lead water crisis like yesterday. It appears the city was unsuccessful in their treatment to bring the lead levels down and realized the solution is replacing some 2,400 lead pipes.

Michigan local officials offered filters to the Benton Harbor residents for the purpose of reducing the amount of lead in drinking waters, simultaneously studying to ensure these filters worked on corrosion control to reduce the lead entering the water from pipes. This filtration reduced the lead level but not to a healthy consumption and safe level.

In conclusion, daily lives are filled with water consumption on every level, cooking, drinking, and basic household needs usage like flushing your toilet. America, one of the richest countries in the world needs to ensure safe water across the country and stop functioning as a third world country.

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